Newsletter - China Institutehttp://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/Wed, 14 Jun 2017 21:06:52 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-16174-16174 (http://www.squarespace.com)Reaching Chinese Worldwide NewsletterCHINESE IN THE WESTWright DoyleWed, 14 Jun 2017 21:14:27 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2017/6/14/chinese-in-the-west533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:5941a56cd482e9f26b7203b7Many studies have shown that people who have recently moved to a new
country are not only struggling with adjustments of all sorts, but also
open to new ideas. Thousands of Chinese have expressed faith in Jesus Chris
while in the West, and many more have been exposed to the gospel.Dear Praying Friends:

In my letter on “Old Strategies for New Realities,” I said that we should focus on “Chinese in the West, especially students and scholars and their families, but also restaurant workers.”

The Numbers

At present, in the United States alone, there are: - Almost 400,000 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students, plus visiting scholars and their families. These represent “the best and the brightest” of China’s educated elite.- At least 23,000 Chinese high school students, almost 60% of whom attend Christian schools, even though most of the parents are atheists.- About 200,000 Chinese employed in more than 40,000 Chinese restaurants.- 600,000 Chinese who have obtained “green cards,” that is, legal permanent residents, - An estimated 268,000 illegal immigrants.

Even if we subtract, say, 500,000 from these numbers to account for overlapping categories, there are over one million recently arrived Chinese living in the United States alone.

The Opportunity

Many studies have shown that people who have recently moved to a new country are not only struggling with adjustments of all sorts, but also open to new ideas. Thousands of Chinese have expressed faith in Jesus Chris while in the West, and many more have been exposed to the gospel.

A Strategic Group

More and more students are returning to China after earning their degrees since they have a better chance of finding a good job there. They become leaders in all domains of society.Even those who stay in the West remain in close communication with their families and friends back home. Students stay up late at night, talking to people in China by WeChat or telephone. Vacations and holidays see thousands making the trip across the Pacific. Families visit from China whenever they can, often for six months or more.

In other words, your Christian witness to a Chinese person here may impact many more in Asia, with incalculable effects.

The Obstacles

Sharing Christ with Chinese in the West is not easy, of course. For uneducated ones, language remains a huge barrier. Students and scholars feel overwhelmed with their work and have little extra time. The younger people seem much less interested in spiritual things than previous generations were. Restaurant employees generally must work on Sundays, work ten or more hours a day, and have irregular days off.

Ways and Means

God has given us proven methods of communicating his truth and love:

Prayer: Every time you see someone who looks Chinese, pray for that person. Intercede, also for those who work among Chinese.

Literature: You can obtain excellent tracts and books from Ambassadors for Christ (800-624-3504).

Collaboration: Find out how you can assist with the outreach of your local church, a Chinese church, or a campus ministry to Chinese.

Friendship: Ask God to show you how you can befriend a Chinese person. Genuine love has real power!

For more about how to reach Chinese all over the world, including the West, see my book, Reaching Chinese Worldwide.

Over the past 28 years, Dori and I have related to hundreds of Chinese in the U.S. We have seen more than 60 receive baptism, and many more have grown in Christ. ( Attached is a picture of a recent child dedication at our church.) Quite a few have become close friends. We thank God for them.

Please Pray for Us

At present, I lead a fortnightly Bible study for people in a local Chinese restaurant. Three Chinese families come to our church. We also have intermittent contact with a graduate student from Taiwan. I regularly relate to Chinese in the U.S. by phone and Skype.

All our colleagues living in the West- in England, Canada, and the U.S. - minister among Chinese.

Please ask God to use us to bring many to know Christ and to help Christians follow the Lord.

In light of the new realities outlined in my January letter, I believe that Christians in the West should revise some of their approaches to communicating Christ with Chinese and return to proven methods suitable for almost all times, but especially now.

In no certain order, some of these “tried and true” approaches would include:

- Praying for God to work among Chinese worldwide and to enable those serving among them to be as effective as possible.

- Praying for peace in East Asia, where a number of flash points could erupt into war suddenly.

- Focusing on Chinese in the West, especially students and scholars and their families, but also restaurant workers.

- Praying for God to overcome obstacles and to thrust forth many more workers into the harvest field among Chinese worldwide.

- Continuing to encourage qualified and prepared Christians to go to China to serve as diligent students, teachers, and other professionals, with valid visas and the intention to serve as “salt and light” by doing their job well and obeying the laws.

- Re-deploying both long-and short-term workers to Taiwan. There is full religious freedom in Taiwan. We don’t know how long that will last. More than 98% of Taiwan’s 23 million+ people do not attend any Christian church.

- Using the Internet and social media, which still reach millions of Chinese.

- Cooperating with other China ministries and with Chinese churches.

- Devoting time and energy to long-term relationships with Chinese, both seekers and believers, to help them come to Christ and to grow in Christian maturity.

- Doing all we can, including prayer, publications, and personal relationships, to counter the rising influence of liberal theology and syncretistic teaching among Chinese Christians and academic scholars, and to produce and promote solid biblical, theological, and cultural resources.

- Developing low-cost, high-yield structures and programs that do not rely on continued American power and prosperity or continued freedoms in the West or in Asia.

- In particular: testing, developing, and implementing methods of small-group, home-based, lay-led Bible study and fellowship groups that will replicate themselves and form movements of house churches and house church presbyteries for each “city.” A city would be an urban or rural area that is small enough to allow for easy communication; larger cities would be divided into many of these smaller ecclesiastical regions. The goal is NOT to build a province-, state-, or nation-wide organization.

In God’s providence, all of our colleagues are engaged in just such activities. Please ask God to make us fruitful, for his glory and the good of the more than one billion Chinese who have not yet heard the gospel.

Some of these strategies are uncontroversial: Everyone agrees we should pray, for example.That doesn’t mean that implementing them will be easy. How much time do YOU spend in prayer for Chinese and those who minister among them?

Others are quite controversial, and will evoke strong objections. In coming months, I hope to address these objections and try to explain why I have identified these methods as essential for effective service to God’s kingdom among the Chinese.

All of them pose immense difficulty, however. Both the “new realities” I named in the last letter and other realties – such as inertia, competing demands on our resources, existing programs and loyalties, human sin, and the unrelenting opposition of Satan – require that we earnestly seek God’s grace to know and do his will.

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His Might.” Ephesians 6:10

Fast-changing conditions in China and elsewhere will require fresh strategies for reaching Chinese around the world.

In this letter, we shall briefly glance at some of these new realities. God willing, we shall address some of them in coming months.

1. Restrictions on Religious Activity

The tightening control over all of society by the Chinese government over the past four years has reached new levels.

The new law on the operation ofNGOs (non-governmental organizations), both domestic and foreign, has placed many more barriers in front Christian organizations of all types, including mission agencies.

The new religious law has formalized existing regulations and added new restrictions upon churches, especially unregistered congregations.

2. Growing Maturity of the Chinese Church

In some respects, the Chinese Church has “grown up” and does not need foreign help. More leaders have solid biblical and theological training; sophisticated structures have replaced less developed ways of doing things. The higher level of education among urban church pastors and members has brought new challenges.

3. Rising Anti-Foreign Sentiment

Government propaganda has fostered a new level of suspicion and even hostility towards the West, and especially Japan and the United States. Constant warnings against foreign “infiltration,” particularly in universities, are closing once-open doors.

4. The Exploding Chinese Student Population in the United States

Undergraduates, graduate students, and visiting scholars in the United States now number around 400,000. They represent an unprecedented opportunity for reaching Chinese with the gospel outside of China. At the same time, they face new pressures from their own government even while overseas and are less open to Christianity than previous generations of students and scholars were.

5. The Emergence of China as a Sending Country

After years of prayer and tentative starts, Chinese Christians are making solid preparations for a massive and sustained cross-cultural missionary movement in the near future. They are especially directing their attention towards Muslin nations.

6. Declining Interest in China Ministry among American Christians

For a variety of reasons, American Christians have greatly reduced their concern for, and commitment to, reaching Chinese with the gospel. China-related ministries are seeing fewer who are willing to serve as witnesses of Christ in Taiwan or China, less prayer involvement, and less financial support.

7. Theological and Moral Erosion in the Church

As in the West, confidence in the Scriptures as God’s inerrant and unique authority is being challenged by some Chinese theologians, the “Prosperity Gospel” is spreading, and Christians are increasingly succumbing to the pervasive moral decay in society. Preaching often does not convey the whole counsel of God and Christians are failing in their marriages, families, and conduct.

8. Confusion and Chaos in the Academy

Again as in the West, China’s intellectuals are adrift in a sea of relativism and nihilism. Those who study Christianity are not aware of the rich resources of evangelical and orthodox biblical and theological scholarship.

9. Shift in the Balance of Power & Worldwide Instability

China’s rising military power, along with financial, economic, political, and social crises in the West and Japan, have altered the balance of power in East Asia. At the same time, China is a very “fragile superpower,” with internal weaknesses that portend not only domestic but international instability.

These developments will greatly impact individual Christians, local churches, and Christian ministries to Chinese. At the very least, people could be distracted, and resources diverted from witness among Chinese.

On the one hand, we need to deepen our faith in God, who promises to provide for his people, and on the other, we must not lose focus on the abiding imperative to take the gospel to all creatures, including Chinese (Matthew 6:33; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:8).

Our Response

Christians in China, and foreigners who wish to promote the spread of the gospel among Chinese, must adapt quickly to these new realities, for many of them are already upon us, and others are looming on the horizon.

I suggest two resources as we pray and ponder how to serve God effectively among the Chinese in this new situation.

The first are all the publications of ChinaSource, including their Quarterly, Chinese Church Voices, and ZGBriefs. See http://www.chinasource.org/.

]]>Strengthening the ChurchWright DoyleTue, 22 Nov 2016 20:58:15 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2016/11/22/strengthening-the-church533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:5834b02520099ed326dfd3f0In coming months, I hope to write several more papers on Carl Henry and a
review of a popular volume on the history of theology which greatly
distorts the teaching of Augustine and of Henry and which has been
published in Chinese. Please pray for me and others as we “do theology” for
the growth of the Chinese Church.Dear Praying Friends:

In this age, God manifests his grace and truth primarily through the Church, the Body of Christ, composed of all those who trust and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Since 1989, China Institute has sought to work with local churches and with the church around the world, to minister to Chinese and to mobilize others to serve God among Chinese.

In the process, we seek to evangelize those who don’t know Christ; edify believers; and equip Christian leaders for more effective ministry.

“Doing Theology”

Forty-one years ago this month, I began teaching at the Discipleship Training Centre in Singapore. In 1980, after two years of language study in Taiwan and two years at home, I started teaching Greek and New Testament at China Evangelical Seminary in Taipei.

Since returning in 1988 to live in the U.S., I have tried to produce books and articles of two sorts: constructive theology and critical theology. Constructive theology presents biblical teaching as clearly as possible. Critical theology seeks to correct errors or misunderstandings.

Chinese Christian leaders need both. Many are not clear about the full scope of evangelical doctrines, so that “the whole counsel of God” is not communicated from the pulpit and in publications. As a result, evangelism and ethical teaching lack balance and depth.

Key issues include: the relationship of Christianity to Chinese culture; the interaction of theology and Western philosophy; the nature of biblical revelation and of God’s grace towards sinners.

Books

To meet this need for constructive teaching, I have published a revised edition of the Greek-Chinese Lexicon; two devotional commentaries (on Matthew and on selected Psalms and Proverbs); a small commentary on Ephesians; and two books of practical theology (The Lord’s Healing Words and Jesus: The Complete Man).

Critical theology seeks to address current controversies, so that errors are corrected by biblical teaching. My major project has been to make the work of Carl Henry and of Lit-sen Chang more widely known and understood. Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons has been translated into Chinese and submitted to a publisher in Taiwan.

My abridgment of the first four volumes of the (existing) Chinese translation of Henry’s God, Revelation, and Authority has been available since 1997. Alas, the translation of my abridgment of the last two volumes has still not been completed. Maybe in 2017?

Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng) was a great Chinese theologian in the last half of the 20th century, but his works are not widely known. Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng) includes my translation of Critique of Indigenous Theology and Samuel Ling’s rendering of Critique of Humanism. Four lectures on Chang which I gave in Taiwan in 2013 have been posted in English and in Chinese on our website.

Christianity in America: Triumph and Tragedy, is an essay in public theology, in which I explore the relationships between Christianity and American culture, society, and politics.

Articles

In order to promote evangelical positions on matters of current concern, I have published articles on our web sites, in scholarly journals, and at www. academia.edu.

This month, I submitted two articles to Chinese publications, one on “the Sinicization [i.e. “Chinafication”] of Christianity,” for the Journal of Research for Christianity and China and another on Lit-sen Chang, for the Yearbook of Chinese Theology 2016.

Coming Up

During the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (November 14-16), I will present a paper on Carl Henry.

I also plan to attend a gathering of Chinese theologians on the night of the 15th. That event will be held in Mandarin.

In coming months, I hope to write several more papers on Carl Henry and a review of a popular volume on the history of theology which greatly distorts the teaching of Augustine and of Henry and which has been published in Chinese.

Your part

Please pray for me and others as we “do theology” for the growth of the Chinese Church.

Yours in his grace and truth,

Wright

]]>Engaging Scholars of ChristianityWright DoyleMon, 10 Oct 2016 08:44:25 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2016/10/10/engaging-scholars-of-christianity533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:57fb51e403596eb277c848c9Over the past thirty years, and for the first time in Chinese history, God
has placed a desire within thousands of Chinese scholars to know more about
Christianity. Though they come from a variety of academic disciplines, they
have increasing opportunities to study Christianity as an academic field in
itself, often in departments of philosophy, history, or even religion.Dear Praying Friends:

Over the past thirty years, and for the first time in Chinese history, God has placed a desire within thousands of Chinese scholars to know more about Christianity.

Though they come from a variety of academic disciplines, they have increasing opportunities to study Christianity as an academic field in itself, often in departments of philosophy, history, or even religion.

At the same time, more and more scholars in the West have begun to focus on Chinese Christianity as a specialty. Some of these are evangelical Christians, though many are not.

Global China Center

Recognizing these twin developments, Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin and I founded Global China Center in 2004. Like China Institute, GCC has two broad aims: To serve among the Chinese, and to mobilize and equip others for service.

Specifically, we seek to engage Chinese scholars of Christianity and Western scholars studying Chinese Christianity, including the missionary movement in China.

In both cases, we are in conversations both with evangelical Christians and with those who are skeptical of the truth of the Bible. We want to encourage the believers, who often feel lonely, and to bring a new perspective to non-believers.

Engaging Chinese Scholars

“I’m doing a thesis on Gnosticism, and all I can find are sources that support Gnosticism and condemn the Church for suppressing it,” one young PhD student told me last year at a conference in Shanghai.

The scholar who co-sponsored the conference has asked me to write an article on the “sinicization of Christianity” for his journal, which is widely read. How can the Christian faith become truly Chinese without being unfaithful to Scripture? Competing answers to this question vie for dominance, and the outcome will greatly impact the Chinese church.

A very senior professor wrote me the other day asking for recommendations about evangelical missionaries for his students’ Master’s theses, saying, “All I know about are the liberal missionaries, many of whom became discouraged and even lost their faith. We need to know more about evangelical missionaries.”

A student doing a Master’s degree on Abbot Suger, pioneer of Gothic architecture, has requested help from me understanding the religious ideas which informed Suger. She knows hardly anything about Christianity.

The Challenges

As in the West, but even more so, the Chinese academy suffers from almost total ignorance of conservative, orthodox Christian thinkers, much less of those who are evangelical, especially American evangelicals.

They operate in a world dominated by skepticism, secularism, and European philosophical thought, and “liberal” Christian notions about the Bible and theology. At best, they know about a few mediating thinkers, like Barth, Moltmann, and Pannenberg. Without access to conservative evangelical scholarship, they can only reproduce the sterile traditions that have bankrupted Western culture and eviscerated the Western church.

The same goes for their understanding of the history of Christianity in China, as the scholar I quoted above acknowledged. They have been deprived of resources and a balanced and accurate understanding of the origin and growth of Protestant Christianity in China.

In response to this situation, we have tried to introduce them to some of the best of evangelical biblical scholarship and theology, as well as to a more accurate picture of the history of Christianity in China.

Through lectures, articles, book reviews, and books, I have sought to provide an introduction to great thinkers like Augustine, Carl F.H. Henry, and Lit-sen Chang, as well as to “rehabilitate” missionaries such as J. Hudson Taylor who had been unfairly criticized both in China and in the West. Others at GCC have recovered the lost or suppressed stories of Chinese Christians from the past.

Encouraging Scholars in the West

GCC offers an organizational “home” to seven people who do research and teaching about Christianity in China. We are in touch with many others, in a number of informal networks. Our web sites and the Studies in Chinese Christianity series (published by Wipf & Stock under their Pickwick Publications imprint) provide outlets for their writing.

All of our associates have opportunities to converse with their counterparts in Asia and in the West. All have built relationships with people who want to know more about Christianity, especially the church in China, and all have published books and articles of high quality, with more in preparation, including two dissertations and an edited volume.

Your Part

Please ask God to guide us as we read, write, and participate in dialogue with Chinese and Western students of Christianity.

Consider writing a book review or a story for the BDCC, or contributing your editorial help. Introduce us to original manuscripts or old classics worthy of reprinting.

Above all, ask God to bring light and life to millions of Chinese who are searching for him.

Your fellow student,

Wright

]]>Global China CenterWright DoyleMon, 04 Apr 2016 19:35:37 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2016/4/4/global-china-center533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:5702bf6f20c647bc942d5ac7We would like to bring you up to date on Global China Center, the academic
and scholarly avenue of our outreach to educated Chinese around the world.Dear Praying Friends:

In our last letter, we surveyed the work of China Institute, the “religious” and church-related arm of our ministry.

Now we would like to bring you up to date on Global China Center, the academic and scholarly avenue of our outreach to educated Chinese around the world.

As you know, we are always trying to do two things: 1. Share the Christian message with both Christian and non-Christian Chinese, and 2. Help others to serve more effectively among Chinese.

Publications

Websites

The GCC web site, www.globalchinacenter.org, attempts to present recent English-language research on Chinese Christianity and its various contexts. Both Western and Chinese scholars and China ministry leaders have expressed appreciation for the extensive book reviews and in-depth analyses of works on the history and current state of Christianity in China.

We also survey recent books on how the gospel has been, or could be, contextualized in Chinese culture, with what we hope is fair and balanced critique of different proposals. With more than 150 articles already posted, the site serves as a rich repository of information and evaluation of God’s exciting actions among the Chinese.

The Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (www.bdcconline.net) features stories of Chinese Christians and Western missionaries, with an emphasis upon the last two hundred years.

Edited by Dr. Yading Li, the Chinese page now has more than 250 original articles, most composed by Dr. Li himself. It has gained wide recognition on the Chinese Internet, and is the top resource on the history of Chinese Christianity listed by several leading search engines and web sites.

The English page has more than 400 articles, many of them taken by permission from published reference works, but with more and more fresh compositions appearing each year. I serve as editor of this page and contribute some of the articles.

Together, the Chinese and English pages have been visited by more than a million readers since this version was launched in 2009. Each month, there are more than 8,000 unique visits. More than 10,000 people have read each of the most popular stories.

Currently, our Web Content Manager, Jason Truell, is working on a total re-design of the BDCC that will make it much easier to use.

Books: Studies in Chinese Christianity

Produced under the Pickwick Publications imprint of Wipf and Stock, a respected academic publisher, this series now includes eleven volumes, with several in preparation.

Each volume is written in a popular style, but in a way that meets the needs of scholars also. Unique in its field, the series has become prestigious enough that Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin and I, as co-editors, periodically receive requests from authors who want us to look at their manuscripts.

Public Presentations

Most of our colleagues have opportunities to share their knowledge with others, either in the classroom or in academic conferences around the world. Two teach in universities, and one has just been asked to join the faculty of a premier university in China. Dr. Li offers seminary courses in Chinese church history. Several of us plan to give papers at conferences in coming months.

Personal Relationships

All of us have opportunities for ongoing conversations with Chinese scholars studying Christianity, either in the West or in Asia. Some of these take place by email or Skype. Indeed, everything we do is meant to lead transforming friendships with lasting impact.

Your part:

Please pray for Global China Center. Ask God to

- Bring many more readers to our book series and the two websites.

- Bring more writers for our websites and book series.

- Give us discipline, strength, and wisdom to write, teach, and lecture well, and to encourage both Chinese and Western students of Christianity.

Your fellow student,

Wright

]]>Looking Forward to 2016Wright DoyleThu, 28 Jan 2016 19:23:29 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2016/1/28/looking-forward-to-2016533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:56aa69fb1115e0a4d486f87fThankful for all God did in 2015, and trusting him to be faithful in this
coming year, we invite you to join with us in prayer as we place our
(always tentative) plans before him.Dear Praying Friends:

Thankful for all God did in 2015, and trusting him to be faithful in this coming year, we invite you to join with us in prayer as we place our (always tentative) plans before him.

As you know, we do two things: Minister directly to Chinese, and encourage others to serve effectively among Chinese.

This two-fold ministry is carried out through two “divisions,” China Institute and Global China Center, both of which engage in both aspects of outreach, but in different arenas and ways.

CHINA INSTITUTE

Writing

Encouraged by my Board and by Chinese friends to make this my first priority, I hope to continue sending monthly prayer letters like this one, and weekly email updates. Write me if you would like to subscribe.

Thirty years after its publication, New Testament Reference Works needs to be brought up to date, with new information and a revision of my chapter on Greek grammar. In the past, it has been used as a textbook in Chinese seminaries and as a guide for individuals. Like all my works, it is composed in English and then translated by Chinese believers.

Increasingly, I have been conscious that Chinese Christians need to be given the best of Western Christian theology, so that they can construct their own expressions of faith with a fuller awareness of those who have gone before.

That is why I wrote Carl Henry: Theologian for All Ages. It has been translated into Chinese, but we have not yet found a publisher. The last two volumes of my abridgment of Henry’s six-volume God, Revelation, & Authority are supposed to be issued in Chinese later this year. I hope they will, and that my book introducing his magnum opus can also come out in 2016.

Currently, I am working on a book introducing some major works and concepts of St. Augustine, on whom I wrote my dissertation forty years ago. My goal is to supplement existing books and to counter some common misconceptions about this great theologian.

As part of my daily morning preparation for the Leadership Training Course (see below), I am also gradually composing a theological and ethical commentary on the whole Bible. That project will take several more years.

Encouraging those who serve among Chinese

China Institute Partners now include five couples, serving in Taiwan, England, the U.S., and Canada. One couple now living in England is preparing to go to Taiwan later this year for further study of Mandarin and also theology and the Bible.

As often as possible, but not as much as I should, I try to stay in touch with them through telephone, Skype, and email. I want to be more diligent about that this year.

The Leadership Training Course has five men, with whom I meet in two groups monthly by Skype. We have almost finished our intensive study of the Bible, begun more than three years ago, but our fellowship has been so rich that I would love to continue with them.

Encouraging/coaching/mentoring

Mostly through email and Skype, I am privileged to be in touch with many more people in the West and in Asia by Internet. Their letters to me often contain questions of theology or personal matters that require careful thought and sometimes further research on my part.

The volume of this correspondence has increased dramatically in recent months and demands more of my time than before, but I thank God for these marvelous openings.

Local ministry

When we first arrived in Texas, we did not plunge immediately into ministry with the Chinese who attend our church. Now that we have settled in more, we are ready to take some small steps.

This coming Sunday afternoon, God willing, Dori and I will start meeting with a couple from Taiwan who would like to discuss the sermon in Chinese with us before they go to the special ESL class for them that will also begin tomorrow.

Since there are more than 1,500 Chinese living in our county, there is a possibility that more will come to the church in the future, especially when they hear about the ESL class.

Next month, I will share our hopes for the work of Global China Center in the coming year.

Your part

Your prayers play an essential role in our ministry. We rely on them to be used by God to work in and through us and our friends, and to override human error, weakness, and sin to accomplish his great and gracious purposes.

May I ask you to re-read this letter and pray over the things mentioned now, and also in coming months?

Your fellow-servant in God’s kingdom,

Wright

]]>Another Year of God's FaithfulnessWright DoyleTue, 12 Jan 2016 20:04:41 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2016/1/12/another-year-of-gods-faithfulness533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:56955b7569a91aa09b3cbe04As 2015 draws to a close, we cannot help thanking God for the marvelous
ways in which he has manifested his kindness and mercy to us, despite our
manifest unworthiness.Dear Praying Friends,

As 2015 draws to a close, we cannot help thanking God for the marvelous ways in which he has manifested his kindness and mercy to us, despite our manifest unworthiness.

Astoundingly, he condescends to use frail human beings; and more amazingly, he enlists sinners in his service!

A few highlights for the past year will suffice to demonstrate our Lord’s pity and his power.

Writings

Several books in which I had a part were published: Builders of the Chinese Church: Pioneer Missionaries and Chinese Church Leaders (Pickwick) tells the stories of nine outstanding 19th century servants of God.

Worship and Wisdom: Meditations on Psalms and Proverbs (TorchFlame Books) provides daily readings of short devotional thoughts on these two foundational books of the Old Testament.

Two new volumes came out in Wipf & Stock’s Studies in Chinese Christianity, which I co-edit with Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin: China’s Urban Christians, by Brent Fulton, and On the Road to Siangyang, by Jack R. Lundbom

My former Chinese assistant Nancy and I finished translating Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons, and submitted it to a potential publisher in China.

Before we moved to Texas in May, Dori and I – mostly Dori, actually – tried to encourage Chinese students in the Chinese Christian Fellowship and in the Mandarin Sunday school class that meets at our church.

We left Charlottesville full of confidence that God would continue what he started there, especially since our China Institute Partners Kevin and Sarah Sawyer are such capable mentors and coaches.

Leadership Training Course

This four-year course with a few men has been meeting monthly in two sessions, one in Charlottesville and one via Skype. Our discussions have continued with only a few interruptions, though of course both sessions are done over Skype now.

I thank God for speaking to me so often through these godly men, all but one of whom are Chinese; the other is heavily involved in ministry to Chinese in Charlottesville. Despite very daunting challenges and some real suffering, we are seeing God working in our lives.

Travel to China

From October 20 to November 26 I was in China, where I visited seven cities and gavenine lectures, seven of them on Christian subjects, in four universities and one high school. God also gave me several opportunities to share the whole gospel with groups of people at dinner parties and on an excursion into the mountains of Shandong.

You would be thrilled if I told you the details of private conversations with many individuals, including chambermaids, taxi drivers, undergraduate and graduate students, younger scholars and some very senior ones, professors, and deans.

Everywhere I went, I saw the openness of all sorts of people, the heart-breaking social and environmental landscape, and the vast need for millions to hear the Good News for the first time.

Email correspondence

Both before my trip, and even more since then, I have been communicating with more than a dozen Chinese by email. They present all sorts of questions about marital crises, findingresources to learn more about Christianity, getting into graduate school, revising application documents – and much more.

Some are desperate cries of the heart, while others merely seek advice or information, but each one requires thought, prayer, and care in responding. Dori has similar, though fewer, opportunities.

Life in Texas

We are slowly settling into our new community and church. Dori’s days now largely center on taking care of me and seeing family. Both of us are far less involved in personal contact with Chinese than before, but most of my work can be done from my study, so little else has changed for me.

We thank God for your faithful prayers, and pray that, even in the midst of terrorist attacks and global chaos, you may have joy and rest in the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate.

Wright

]]>Stories of ChristiansWright DoyleThu, 29 Oct 2015 17:08:44 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2015/10/29/stories-of-christians533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:563251a1e4b0e061abc8d90eLike the rest of us, but perhaps even more, the Chinese love stories about
people. They learn about character and conduct from stories more, perhaps,
than from ethical instruction or exhortation.Dear Praying Friends:

Like the rest of us, but perhaps even more, the Chinese love stories about people. They learn about character and conduct from stories more, perhaps, than from ethical instruction or exhortation.

For this reason, we have focused our energies over the past ten years on producing stories about Western missionaries and Chinese Christians.

We have three goals for these stories:

1. To encourage believers and give them role models.

2. To attract non-Christians to the Christian lifestyle and to the Lord.

3. To refute slander and clear up misconceptions about Christianity held by many Chinese, especially intellectuals.

Here you will find short, but substantial, biographies of missionary icons like Hudson Taylor, Lottie Moon, and Gladys Aylward, and Chinese Christian heroes like the great evangelist John Sung, and theologian Lit-sen Chang. The BDCC has both English and Chinese pages.

The BDCC is “visited” between 16,000 and 18,000 times each month; half of these are unique. Since the site was first launched in 2005, there have been more than 600,000 visits, more than half of them unique visits. Here is a breakdown by country:

United States 32%; China 19%; Hong Kong 19%; Taiwan 10%; the rest are from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. 43% visited the Chinese page; 52% visited the English page (not sure why this doesn’t add up to 100%).

May I ask you to pray especially for the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (BDCC)? We are in the midst of a year-long project, generously helped by a Christian foundation, to re-build, upgrade, and substantially enlarge this important resource.

Dr. Yading Li, the editor of the Chinese page, has been writing authoritative articles in Chinese for several years. Now he is also training students in his church history classes to compose stories as well. We hope that more Chinese will contribute to this collection, which already has about 300 entries.

The Chinese-language BDCC has become a major source of information about Christianity in China for Chinese readers, but it needs to keep adding biographies.

Jason Truell, our web content manager, has been spending many hours totally re-designing the entire site from the bottom up, using new software that will make it easier to use and more attractive, as well as quicker to post new articles. Jason has a full-time job as pastor of the English section of a Chinese church in Richmond, British Columbia, so he already has plenty to do.

Meanwhile, both my editorial assistant Martha Stockment and I have been working on substantial entries, some to replace shorter articles which were used from other reference works by permission when we first began. I plan also to translate more of Dr. Li’s Chinese stories. Sometimes others volunteer to submit articles, too.

Please ask God to:

- Enable us to research and write authoritative, lively articles as quickly as possible.

- Raise up others to contribute stories, including several who have already promised to do so.

- Continue to draw people to both the English and Chinese pages of the BDCC, that he might be glorified in the lives of his faithful people over the centuries.

Your fellow-pilgrim,

Wright

]]>Chinese Students in the WestWright DoyleTue, 22 Sep 2015 17:25:21 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2015/9/22/chinese-students-in-the-west533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:56018e72e4b088bb5b812186More than 240,000 students and scholars from China attend universities in
the United States alone. Thousands more can be found in Canada, Europe, and
Australia. Many others have enrolled in private schools in the West for
high school education.Dear Praying Friends:

More than 240,000 students and scholars from China attend universities in the United States alone. Thousands more can be found in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Many others have enrolled in private schools in the West for high school education.

In addition, a great number of university professors and public officials participate in three-month long intensive programs on how to teach their subject in English, or other specialized topics, such as administration.

Closed Doors, Open Doors

Traditional missionary work is illegal in China, though other ways of bearing witness to the truth and grace of Christ are still open.

While in the West, however, Chinese students and scholars may be freely approached by Christians, though discretion is required. Groups of officials, in particular, are closely monitored, but even they will accept sincere invitations of hospitality and help.

Others present no obstacle to Western believers who desire to introduce them to God’s beauty, love, wisdom, and power. In fact, many of them come with a desire to learn more about Christianity. Some have already believed while in China, and are eager to meet Western Christians.

True, most of the new wave of undergraduates arrive with purses (a majority are female) full of cash, credit cards, and the latest electronic gadgets. Smartly dressed, they are used to all the comforts of life and ready to explore the storied pleasure-spots of America, the Caribbean, and Europe at the first opportunity.

With ambitions set on high grades, internships and jobs at the most prestigious corporations, and/or entrance into elite graduate schools, they may have little interest in spiritual things.

And yet . . .

They also come from a society that is unravelling, where corruption, pollution, and rampant greed have bred cynicism and empty souls. Once they arrive in nations that bear the marks of previous generations of Christians, they sense a difference.

In particular, genuine expressions of love often melt their hearts and awaken a desire for more. Far too many of them have known little intimacy with their parents, who race frenetically to succeed so their children can have the brightest futures.

Our Part

Since 1988, when we returned from China, we have concentrated upon these highly intelligent and potentially very influential Chinese. As our team has grown, God has given us access to students and scholars in several places:

Charlottesville: Kevin and his wife Sarah, along with our Chinese assistant Nancy, work with the undergraduate, English-speaking Chinese Christian Fellowship to reach both American-born Chinese and newcomers from China. They also help with the Mandarin Sunday school class that meets at the church we used to attend. Over the years, we have seen several dozen baptisms as a result of these ministries.

Jason and Kristie Truell have just moved to Richmond, British Columbia (near Vancouver), where Jason serves as pastor to the English section of a Chinese church. Jason also preaches in the Chinese section and in fellowship groups.

Randall and Connie Chan live inCambridge, England, where students and scholars from China abound. They lead their church’s outreach to Chinese; Connie teaches piano to Chinese children, whose parents are also open to the gospel; and Randall assists two Chinese churches elsewhere in England.

Dori and I stay in touch with these China Institute Partners, as well as with Global China Center Associates across the U.S., like John Barwick, who leads an evangelistic Bible study in a Chinese church in New York, and Yading Li , who pastors a Chinese church in California.

And Yours

Please pray for us to be effective witnesses of Christ to this important population.

Ask God to use you to befriend students from China.

Start by reading Reaching Chinese Worldwide (available from Amazon) for more information and ideas.

Visit our web sites, and introduce them to your friends.

Yours in the love of Christ,

Wright

]]>Christian LiteratureWright DoyleTue, 04 Aug 2015 18:42:35 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/2015/8/4/christian-literature533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:55c1069be4b0fcd6b4cae26dIn all our work, we seek these two things: To help Chinese come to a saving
knowledge of the Triune God through faith in Christ, and to help them
mature into faithful disciples. We know that this is a huge undertaking,
and that only the combined efforts of many people will begin to make an
impact. We just want to do our part, and that includes the production of
Christian literature.Dear Praying Friends:

Jesus said, “Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

In all our work, we seek these two things: To help Chinese come to a saving knowledge of the Triune God through faith in Christ, and to help them mature into faithful disciples.

We know that this is a huge undertaking, and that only the combined efforts of many people will begin to make an impact. We just want to do our part, and that includes the production of Christian literature.

Equipping the Saints for Ministry

Books

Reaching Chinese Worldwide is a general introduction to ministry among Chinese. It includes principles and practices for effective evangelism and discipleship, as well as information about resources of all sorts.

China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society, co-authored with Dr. Peter Yu, contains brief chapters on many facets of both traditional Chinese culture and contemporary society. It’s a summary of what we need to know in order to understand our Chinese friends.

We are standing on the shoulders of faithful missionaries and Chinese Christians. Builders of the Chinese Church presents the stories of nine pioneers in the 19th century. Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang, contains two previously un-translated works on the interaction of Christianity with Chinese religions by a very learned Chinese theologian.

These two books are part of a series, Studies in Chinese Christianity, edited by Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin and me. Six other volumes have come out already: Salt & Light: Lives of Faith that Changed China, in three volumes, tells the stories of Chinese who, influenced by the Christian message, made major contributions to Chinese society.

Other titles in this series narrate the lives of China’s first Protestant evangelist, Liang Afa, and of Timothy Richard, one of the most famous missionaries. After Imperialism includes essays discussing crucial issues in Chinese Christian identity today.

Three other historical studies and a comprehensive description of today’s urban Chinese churches should come out within the year. I am working on a book comparing Confucius and Christ, and hope to edit another collection of short biographies of Chinese Christian leaders and missionaries.

All these books seek to help both Western and Chinese understand the background and current shape of today’s Chinese church, and thus to serve more effectively.

Web Sites

Our three web sites share the same purpose. Globalchinacenter.org features mostly reviews of major books about the history and present state of Christianity in China, crucial issues of contextualization of the gospel among Chinese, and “best practices” for work among Chinese.

Short companion articles to these reviews on reachingchineseworldwide.org offer some thoughts on practical implications for ministry.

The online Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (bdcconline.net) comprises hundreds of stories of Chinese Christians and Western missionaries, in Chinese and in English.

Ministry to Chinese

You might ask, Why produce so much literature in English? Don’t you want to reach Chinese?

First, Chinese are reading our English writings. We know that Chinese scholars find our web sites and books valuable, for they have told us so. “Ordinary” people do, too. One physician in China is going through Christ the King: Meditations on Matthew, a page a day, for example.

Second, we make every effort to have our work available in Chinese. The BDCC has more than 250 entries in Chinese. Several of my books, including The Lord’s Healing Words, Confucius and Christ, my autobiography, a commentary on Ephesians, and the first four volumes of my abridgment of Carl Henry’s God, Revelation, & Authority, have already been published in Chinese. My lectures on The Way Home: A Faith for the 20th Century and on Lit-sen Chang, some book reviews and articles, and parts of Christ the King can be read on the Chinese page of ReachingChineseworldwide.org. Two volumes of the Salt & Light series have been translated and published in China.

Please pray for us. Ask God to

- Enable translators to complete the last two volumes of God, Revelation & Authority.

- Provide a publisher for my Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons, which my assistant has just finished translating.

- Give me and other writers wisdom, discipline, and energy to work diligently.

- Raise up more writers for our web sites.

- Use all our publications to advance his kingdom among the Chinese.

Your brother,

Wright

]]>We Are MovingWright DoyleThu, 14 May 2015 00:11:00 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/we-are-moving533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:555e7421e4b02f649df414b2Dori and I are leaving Charlottesville after twenty-six years. Dear Praying Friends:

On May 14, Dori and I are leaving Charlottesville after twenty-six years. We have contemplated such a move for several years, but did not expect to be going this soon until we actually made the decision last fall.

Why? And why now?

We believe that we should live closer to our daughter and son-in-law, who live in another state. The time has come for us to develop a closer relationship with them than is possible when we see each other only once a year for a few days.

We will also be nearer to Dori’s oldest sister and brother-in-law, along with their two children and their families.

For some time, we have also felt the need to get into a smaller house that will require less upkeep. We’re in the process of shedding many belongings – quite difficult to do, but necessary. Because houses are more expensive here, we’ll be able to pay cash for our new home and thus be free of mortgage debt.

What about the ministry in Charlottesville?

We would not feel free to leave the ministry here unless we thought that we were no longer needed. For several reasons, we believe that is the case now.

Kevin Sawyer has taken my place as adult male advisor to the Chinese Christian Fellowship, and is doing a great job – much better than I did, in fact. With his gifts for organization and strategy, and his experience as a seasoned student worker, he’s admirably suited for this work.

He has also stepped into positions of China ministry leadership in our church that I once held. Here, too, he has demonstrated ability to guide and care for the teams that God has raised up in both the Mandarin Sunday School class and the Ethnic Chinese Ministry Team.

Meanwhile, God has provided the Mandarin class with three Chinese men who are fully capable of leading the sermon discussion, and several mature women who can assist them in answering questions and ministering to the group.

Nancy, our new Chinese assistant, has won a place in the hearts of younger women in the class and the girls in CCF. Being Chinese herself, she can relate to them far better than we can.

Within the church as a whole, many committed people are involved in outreach to Chinese people who attend worship. Though not without room for growth and improvement, the infrastructure for ongoing ministry seems solid and vital.

Our bookkeeper, office, editorial assistants, PO Box, and Board of Directors will stay here. Addresses will not change. I intend to return several times a year for Board meetings.

In short, we feel free to leave, and to let others express the gifts God has so amply bestowed.

What will we do next?

Ever since January, 2013, when a sudden onslaught of respiratory illness forced me to withdraw from most direct personal ministry and speaking engagements, I have focused on three priorities: Writing, (mostly long distance) encouraging/coaching/mentoring, and going to Asia for extended periods of time.

My health is much better now, but these three types of work still seem to be what God wants me to focus on in coming years. Of course, all can be done from any location.

Writing: I plan to continue to provide substantial reviews of important books about Chinese Christianity for globalchinacenter.org; companion articles for reachingchineseworldwide.org; and both original and translated articles for the online Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (bdcconline.net).

As co-editor of Wipf & Stock’s Studies in Chinese Christianity, I solicit and edit book manuscripts from others, and I hope to continue to produce more volumes for that unique series myself.

As leader of China Institute and Global China Center, I need to pray for and communicate regularly with more than fifteen colleagues and support staff. I am also privileged to be in frequent contact with another dozen or so people, both Chinese and foreign, around the world, by Skype, phone, and email. The number of requests for information and advice coming to me increases each year. All this takes time.

Invitations to present papers and give lectures in China and in Taiwan will take me out of the USA for several weeks a year.

In other words, God has given me plenty of work to do!

Dori and I believe that God is guiding us to make this move, and we covet your ongoing prayers.

Your fellow pilgrim,

Wright

]]>Are Foreigners Needed in China? (2)Wright DoyleMon, 23 Mar 2015 16:56:03 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/are-foreigners-needed-in-china-2533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:551043d3e4b077184a37f99cLet us consider what foreigners might be able to contribute to the
edification – that is, growth in Christian maturity – of Chinese
believers. Edification

Dear Praying Friends:

In the last letter, I said that foreign Christians are still needed in Greater China to communicate the gospel to those who have never heard. Long-term, sustainable positions as serious students of Chinese language and culture or as teachers of English and other subjects provide excellent opportunities.

Now let us consider what foreigners might be able to contribute to the edification – that is, growth in Christian maturity – of Chinese believers. Paul teaches us that the Body of Christ grows when individual believers speak the truth in love. He later says that when each member does its part, the entire organism is built up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Foreigners can benefit their Chinese Christian friends by living lives of love.

Ways of Loving

Love for God

Jesus taught that the Greatest Commandment is to love God with our entire being. When Chinese Christians see that their Western friends hunger for God and his Word, spending hours reading, meditating upon, and memorizing Scripture and responding to God in prayer, they will know what is most important to us.

If we are clearly content with God’s management of our lives, confident that he will take care of us, and willing to obey him regardless of the cost, others will sense that we are centered upon the Savior.

Chinese are used to people saying one thing and doing another. If we demonstrate integrity and consistency, they will take notice. Honesty, sexual purity, marital faithfulness, and simple living will speak more loudly than a thousand sermons.

Love for each other

The Second Commandment is that we love others as we love ourselves. Jesus sharpened that further when he called his disciples to love each other as he had loved them, laying down his life for his friends.

Courtesy, kindness, and mutual forbearance among foreign Christians will show what this kind of love looks like in daily life. Speaking well of others with whom we disagree and expressing generous appreciation for each other will stand in sharp contrast to the ways of the world.

In particular, in an age when marriages are breaking down everywhere, Christian couples can manifest the love of Christ. Gentle, loving leadership by husbands, and humble, respectful submission by wives will manifest the sacrificial love of Christ in tangible ways that evoke a hunger for that kind of married life.

If in our homes they observe parents spending time with their children and bringing them up in the ways of the Lord with firmness and fairness, they will be attracted to the Christian life. Fathers, especially, can set a counter-cultural example here.

Loving Others

The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that our “neighbor” could be someone from a different race or culture. Just as God’s love is expansive and generous, so ours must be among the Chinese whom we encounter, including fellow believers.

One powerful way to demonstrate God’s love is simply to listen. Most people are lonely and feel isolated; few people have time to listen. If we show that we are eager to hear what people have to say, without immediately offering advice, hearts will quickly open up to us. (We must keep secrets in confidence, of course.)

We can augment aural listening by learning as much as much as we can about Chinese history, culture and society. Such knowledge will enable us to understand the context of what individuals tell us.

China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society, by Peter X.M. Yu and G. Wright Doyle, offers a brief introduction to both traditional Chinese culture and contemporary conditions. Helpful articles, book reviews, interviews, and news reports can be found at globalchinacenter.org, reachingchineseworldwide.org, and chinasource.org.

Living among our Chinese Christian friends will bind us to them, and them to us, in love. As we share in their all-important meals, join them in healthy recreation, travel together, and simply “hang out” together, they will see that we really like them, respect them, and enjoy them. Trust will be built, friendships begun, and seeds of mutual love planted that will bear lasting fruit.

Listening, and living among Chinese Christians, will naturally prompt us to pray for them. The beauty of their lives will evoke thanks and praise to God for what he is doing in them. Their trials and troubles will send us to our knees in earnest supplication. When they fail, we will be reminded of our own sins and shortcomings, and cry out for God to forgive and transform both them and ourselves.

Can anyone doubt that the coming of such “friends from afar” (Confucius, Analects, 1:1) will bring joy to our fellow believers in Greater China and contribute to their growth in the knowledge of God’s love?

More and more people are saying, “No! Chinese Christians now number more than 60 million, and are found in every stratum of society and every corner of the country. The church has emerged from the fires of persecution strong, pure, and determined to spread the gospel. Chinese pastors and evangelists can carry out the Great Commission on their own, without help from outside.”

This sounds plausible, especially when it comes from the mouth of Chinese Christian leaders themselves.

Reality Check #1

On the other hand…

Suppose we accept a “high” estimate of 100 million Christians in China. Suppose they all understand the basic tenets of the faith – as summarized, say, in the Apostles’ Creed – and can articulate this to others. And suppose that each of them has shared this gospel with five others.

That would mean that 500 million Chinese have thus been evangelized. Let us further suppose that pastors, evangelists, media, and other means have brought the biblical message of salvation from sins through faith in Jesus Christ to another 400 million or so Chinese. Add the original 100 million Christians, and that would give us the encouraging total of one billion Chinese who have heard the core truths of the Christian faith.

But wait – aren’t there at least 1.5 billion people in China? Yes! That means that 500 million have not yet been exposed to the only truth that can convey eternal life. Please re-read that sentence.

Reality Check #2

Now let us re-visit some of our earlier rather sanguine suppositions and compare them with the actual situation “on the ground.”

All observers agree that many Chinese Christians have not committed themselves to what is considered the orthodox Christian faith, but rather to a kind of “prosperity message with Chinese characteristics.” That is, most evangelistic messages basically say, “Believe in Jesus, and things will go well with you.” This differs little from popular Chinese religion.

So, many Chinese believers do not have in their mind what we would consider the fundamental elements of biblical Christianity. Even if they do, most are not able to communicate this to others. Even if they can, they seldom do.

Beginning in 1988, I have traveled to Taiwan almost annually, and to China about ten times. Though I have visited only a few cities in China, I have been to places where there are more churches and Christians. The same is true in Taiwan.

Everywhere I go, I ask people, “Do you know any Christians?” In Taiwan, the answer is sometimes, “Yes,” but in China much less often so. Then I inquire, “Have they told you why, or what, they believe?” 99% of the time, the response is, “No.”

If they say, “Yes,” then I ask them to tell me what they have heard. Without exception, they repeat some testimony of healing or financial help or other worldly benefit that comes to believers in Christ, not “Jesus Christ, and him crucified and risen for our sins.” Other observers confirm this impression.

Foreign Christians Are Still Needed

My conclusion: Foreign Christians are still needed in mainland China and Taiwan to help local believers in the immense task of conveying essential biblical truth to those who have not yet heard.

If that is the case, how can we be of most help? Not, surely, by going over and ignorantly sharing some “canned,” “one-size-fits-all” version of the gospel and calling for a “decision for Christ.” Nor, obviously, by preaching on street corners – not even in Taiwan, where it’s allowed.

Everyone agrees that foreigners must be prayerful, sensitive, patient, and as knowledgeable about Chinese culture as possible, and that building relationships must stand at the center of evangelism.

That means that the greatest need is for people who commit to learning the language and staying long enough in some sustainable role to be “salt and light” over a period of time.

Even English-only witness can be very effective, if one is properly trained. Many believe that teaching English or some other needed subject, or mercy ministry, are the most effective ways to communicate Christ among the Chinese.

Finally, short-term visits for business or academic lectures and conferences can yield rich fruit. For more, see Reaching Chinese Worldwide, chapters 3-6.

Yours in the Great Commission,

Wright

]]>GLOBAL CHINA CENTER AFTER TEN YEARSWright DoyleThu, 04 Dec 2014 18:40:16 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/global-china-center-after-ten-years533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:5480a97ae4b09a874876b64aAfter ten years of existence, everyone connected with Global China Center
(GCC) has much for which to be thankful.Dear Praying Friends:

At this time of year, we are all a bit more aware of God’s many blessings to us, and we try to express gratitude to him for his kindness. That’s why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

After ten years of existence, everyone connected with Global China Center (GCC) has much for which to be thankful.

GCC was founded by Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin and me in the fall of 2004 as an outreach to Chinese scholars studying Christianity. This is a very special, and growing, group of people with high influence in the Chinese academy, where Christianity is not widely understood, and where believers can feel isolated.

We also want to encourage Western and Chinese Christian scholars studying Christianity. Theirs can be a lonely position in the secular university, and we hope to form an informal network to spur each other on to persevere. Happily, Chinese Christianity has now been recognized as a significant field, with more books, journals, and conferences dedicated to this major phenomenon.

Since then, God has been gracious to prosper GCC in many ways. For example:

Personnel

We have grown from two Associates to nine, with several interns joining us for a while over the years.

Publications

Books: Dr. Hamrin and I are co-editors of Studies in Chinese Christianity, a series published by Wipf & Stock’s Pickwick Publications imprint. So far, seven volumes have come out. The three volumes of Salt & Light: Lives of Faith that Shaped Modern China, edited by Dr. Hamrin with Stacey Bieler, were first issued. A conference volume, After Imperialism, edited by Richard Cook and others, was followed by Wise Man From the East: Lit-sen Chang, edited and translated by me and Dr. Samuel Ling; Liang A-fa: China’s First Evangelist, edited by Jonathan Seitz; and Timothy Richard’s Vision, by Eunice Johnson, edited by Dr. Hamrin.

Builders of the Chinese Church: Pioneer Missionaries and Chinese Christian Leaders, which I edited, will be published in the spring of 2015. A collection of biographical studies of American missionaries and a book on today’s Chinese church are in preparation.

Two volumes of the Salt & Light series have also been published in Chinese. Response from readers has been very enthusiastic.

Lit-sen Chang, Zen-Existentialism: The Spiritual Decline of the West was also published as part of Wipf & Stock’s effort to introduce Chinese Christianity to Western readers.

Websites: The Global China Center site (www.globalchinacenter.org) features more than 150 articles and book reviews about Chinese culture and society, and Christianity in China. The site is read each month by2,500 Chinese and Western scholars, China ministry leaders and practitioners, and many others.

The Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (www.bdcconline.net) contains 320 articles in Chinese (mostly composed by the editor, Dr. Yading Li), telling the stories of missionaries and Chinese Christians in a lively and accurate fashion. The English page has more than 450 articles. Since its launch in 2005, the BDCC has been visited by 230,000 readers (yes, you read that right!), about half of them from Asia. I am English editor of the BDCC and the GCC site.

Presentations, conferences, lectures

GCC Associates have presented panels and papers at various academic meetings and China ministry conferences. We have also given papers at other conferences in China, the U.K., and the United States. This past summer I taught a course and gave three lectures at a university in China, and lectured at another university. Dr. Hamrin will be lecturing at a prestigious university there in December.

Personal relationships

Though we believe that our publications and public presentations possess value, we know that personal relationships are essential for communicating the love and truth of God. All of us seek to cultivate friendships with our Chinese colleagues and with Western Christian scholars of Christianity in China.

We could tell you many stories of encounters with educated Chinese who genuinely want to know the truth about God and his marvelous works in China over the past two hundred years.

One academic dean said to me, “Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.” A student in my course last summer said, “This class has changed my entire life.” Readers of Salt & Light and the BDCC have told us how these stories have totally altered their perception of Christianity and Christians, and given them direction in life. Invitations to return speak volumes, as do frequent requests for advice.

It takes time, we know – sometimes many years – for Chinese intellectuals to overcome their doubts and accept the Christian faith, or at least to have a better impression of Christians in China. We trust that patient effort on our part, and faithful prayers on yours, will be used by God to open minds, eyes, and hearts to the truth that alone sets us free.

Thank you for your participation in this special outreach to scholars and those who seek to reach them.

Your fellow student,

Wright

]]>GOD'S FAITHFULNESSWright DoyleMon, 03 Nov 2014 15:18:32 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/gods-faithfulness533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:54579b77e4b0bd88530d7dcbChina Institute was begun twenty-five years ago this month as a ministry to
Chinese connected to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a
means to equip others for more effective service among Chinese. Since that
time, we have experienced God’s faithfulness in a multitude of ways as we
have watched this small ministry expand.Dear Praying Friends:

China Institute was begun twenty-five years ago this month as a ministry to Chinese connected to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a means to equip others for more effective service among Chinese. Since that time, we have experienced God’s faithfulness in a multitude of ways as we have watched this small ministry expand.

A few highlights:

China Institute has grown to include five couples, in Charlottesville; Taiwan; and England. After nine years in Taiwan, the Truells are here on home assignment.

From 1990 to 2002, we led a Chinese Bible Study. International Christian Fellowship held Sunday services in English for ten years (1996 – 2006). During that time, both groups saw a total of about fifty people baptized. The Chinese Bible Study and International Christian Fellowship have been replaced by the Mandarin Sunday school class, which meets at our church each Sunday. Almost twenty people from that group have been baptized in the past few years.

A graduate student in the Chinese Bible Study started Chinese Christian Fellowship (CCF) for undergraduates at UVA in 1993. It continues to reach out to ethnic Chinese students, with a higher percentage from China now.

Writing

From the beginning, producing Christian literature in English and in Chinese has been a priority. Over the years, the following books have come out in English: Reaching Chinese Worldwide, a semi-comprehensive introduction to ministry among Chinese both here and in Asia; China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society; Christianity in America: Triumph and Tragedy; Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons (which is now being translated); Christ the King: Meditations on Matthew’s Gospel; The Lord’s Healing Words; and Jesus: the Complete Man.

Chinese publications include an abridgment of the first four volumes of the Chinese edition of Carl Henry’s God, Revelation, & Authority (the last two volumes should come out in 2015); a revised edition of the Greek-Chinese Lexicon to the New Testament (2014) which was first published in 1986; an autobiography; New Testament Reference Works (which I have been asked to revise); Confucius and Christ; The Lord’s Healing Words; a short commentary on Ephesians; The Way Home: A Faith for the 21st Century (the Luce Theological Lectures); and Hope Deferred: A Study of Christianity and American Society, which was a precursor to Christianity in America.

Jason Truell designed and built the web site for China Institute, with both English and Chinese pages. On this site you can find reviews of books about China and God’s work among the Chinese; articles dealing with “best practices” for ministry among Chinese; columns describing both Chinese society today and God’s work among the Chinese; more of my books in pdf format (Your Part’s in God’s Plan: Studies in Ephesians); Worship and Wisdom: Meditations on Psalms and Proverbs; and several others) – and much more. The site has been totally re-designed. I invite you to browse it at www.reachingchineseworldwide.org.

Travel to Asia

As you know, we lived in Taiwan for a total of about ten years (1976-1988). Since 1990, I have returned to Taiwan more than twenty times, to visit friends; preach in churches; teach seminary courses; and share the gospel with hundreds of taxi drivers. We’ve also been to China to see friends and learn more about the land, the culture, and the people.

Teaching and lectures

In addition to teaching short courses for several seminaries in Taiwan, I gave the Luce Theological Lectures at Tunghai University and the Lit-sen Chang Theological Lectures for Holy Light Theological Seminary. For a period of about five years, I also taught intensive courses for the North American campus of China Evangelical Seminary in various cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Mentoring, coaching, encouraging

In recent years, I have devoted more attention to writing and to what might loosely be termed “discipleship” of a few people. As time allows, I try to keep up with our CI Partners around the world. The Leadership Training Course includes five men and meets monthly both here and by Skype. Email, Skype, and in-person conversations over a period of years have been important ways to help people grow in their walk with Christ and their ministry to others.

Dori’s indispensable role

In all this, Dori has not only taken care of me, but also hosted I don’t know how many guests in our home for a meal or a night. Not infrequently, Chinese have stayed here for months or even longer. Both in small groups and one-to-one, she has poured her life into dozens of Chinese women, both students and adults, and children.

Others have played vital parts in all this, including our Board of Directors, a series of very able administrative assistants, editorial helpers, and YOU, our faithful prayer partners. We are indescribably grateful to you all.

Wright

]]>WRITINGS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESEWright DoyleMon, 29 Sep 2014 14:09:09 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/writings-in-english-and-chinese533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:54296739e4b0a449ee2cbd69Please pray that God will continue to use our writings to minister to
Chinese and to mobilize others to serve as witnesses of Christ among the
Chinese.Dear Praying Friends:

Writings in English

“Every night I read a section from Christ the King. First, I scan it quickly for a general overview; then I study it carefully, for understanding; finally, I read the passage again to enjoy the beauty of it. After that, I go over your Bible notes for the day.”

As you know, we try to do two things: Minister to Chinese, and mobilize others to reach out more effectively to Chinese people.

In general, our writings in English speak to native English readers, but frequently they impact those whose mother tongue is Chinese. The pre-Christian woman quoted above, a physician in China whom I met last June, purchased a copy of Christ the King, a devotional commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, through Amazon.

Along with others, she also receives brief notes on the Bible five days a week; these follow the reading plan for the men’s Leadership Training Course. You can see that both the book and the Bible notes seem helpful to her as she seeks to know God.

Chinese friends have also responded to other books, such as Christianity in America: Triumph and Tragedy; Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang; Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons; and the three volumes in the series, Salt & Light: Lives of Faith that Shaped Modern China, edited by Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin.

She and I are co-editors of a larger series, Studies in Chinese Christianity, published by Wipf & Stock. Seven volumes have been published; another has been submitted; and still another is being written. https://wipfandstock.com/browse/series/Studies%20in%20Chinese%20Christianity.

It is encouraging to us to hear from non-Chinese that our web sites and books have helped them, but we are happy that our English publications, though mostly produced for those who want to increase their effectiveness as witnesses of Christ among the Chinese, are also being used by God to bring his Word to educated Chinese people as well.

Partly for that reason, we are now working to put all my English writings, including unpublished manuscripts, up on the newly re-designed China Institute site (www.reachingchineseworldwide.org). Look for more titles in coming weeks.

Writings in Chinese

“I have begun reading the book on Ephesians that you passed out to us last week. I really like it. God seems to be speaking to my heart, and showing me fore of his love every day. I am beginning to believe in him.”

This middle-aged woman, who has been visiting her son for the past few months and will return to China in October, has been attending the Mandarin Sunday school class at our church recently. Since the pastor is preaching through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I gave those who wanted one a copy of the short commentary on Ephesians that was translated by a graduate student who had been converted here about fifteen years ago.

Last weekend, several Chinese Christians, including two students at an American seminary, visited our church, and we had them over to our house for dinner. Before they left, I put a bunch of my books in English and Chinese out on the table and said they could each take one. Though some English titles were chosen, most selected the volumes that were in Chinese, all of which were translated from my English versions. Published in Taiwan, these books are not for sale in China, so I was glad to make them available.

I also showed them the new, corrected edition of the Greek-Chinese Lexicon that my students first translated in the 1980s, and which I spent four years revising a while ago.

Because I think that the thought of Carl Henry has a great deal to contribute to Chinese intellectuals, I am working with a Chinese assistant to translate my book on him into Chinese. The first Chinese volume of the Salt & Light series is still meeting with a very enthusiastic response. Dr. Hamrin is waiting now for an ISBN for a second Chinese volume, which is otherwise ready for publication.

Would you please pray that God will continue to use our writings to minister to Chinese and to mobilize others to serve as witnesses of Christ among the Chinese?

Pray also for three colleagues who are working on important books about Chinese Christianity. Thank you!

Yours in His service,

Wright

]]>STUDENTS IN THE WESTWright DoyleTue, 02 Sep 2014 14:05:32 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/students-in-the-west533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:5405ccdee4b0e522f5dfd3efAt present, hundreds of thousands of students from China … seek higher
education in the United States … These people represent China’s ‘best and
brightest,’ who would not be in the West unless they were smart,
well-connected, and ambitious ... For a variety of reasons, the presence of
these students and scholars represents the most important arena for
outreach to Chinese worldwide.Dear Praying Friends:

“At present, hundreds of thousands of students from China … seek higher education in the United States … These people represent China’s ‘best and brightest,’ who would not be in the West unless they were smart, well-connected, and ambitious.

“Many will return to China to exercise positions of great influence in their society; the rest will retain links with their homeland while living abroad.

“Even if they don’t go back for many years, they are in constant contact with their family and friends at home, and often either make short visits or have their parents stay with them for as long as a year. In other words, they form a bridge to China even while living overseas.

“For a variety of reasons, the presence of these students and scholars represents the most important arena for outreach to Chinese worldwide.

“Aside from prayer, reaching these people with the whole counsel of God is perhaps the most strategic thing we can do in spreading the gospel.” (Reaching Chinese Worldwide, 53-54)

Our Experience

Since 1989, when Dori and I moved to Charlottesville, we have tried to make friends with students and scholars from China, in the hope of introducing them to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Like thousands of other Christians in the United States, we have employed a number of methods, some of which I discuss in the book Reaching Chinese Worldwide, from which the above quotation was taken. Some of these include:

Long-term relationshipsWithout a doubt, building lasting relationships is the core principle in serving these people effectively. It takes time for most of them to understand the Christian faith enough to make a solid and lasting commitment.

Unless we show consistent care and concern over a period of years, we will not be able to live a Christ-like life in their presence long enough to gain their trust. Nor will we have time to expose them to a full-orbed view of the truth that saves.

All too often, quickie “decisions for Christ,” or “prayers to receive Christ,” result in shallow “conversions” that fail to effect changed lives.

We have seen this over and over for more than two dozen years, and are convinced that fast-track or high-pressure approaches frequently produce only statistics that feed the ego of the local Christians, not real fruit.

B.From the beginning, we can use some of the Christian literature in Chinese that has been prepared for these well-educated, intelligent folks. Call Ambassadors for Christ (800-624-3504) for information about the dozens of booklets and books that have proved highly effective, including Song of a Wanderer. These can be read at leisure and repeatedly, without any need to respond, though of course you may ask what your friend thinks.

C.You may, without offense, invite your Chinese friends to church once, just to give them a cultural experience. Be careful about putting too much pressure on a busy student, however. Let the response be your guide.

D.Chinese-English Bibles enable the Chinese reader to compare the text in both languages and provide a way to converse about spiritual things even if you don’t read Chinese.

E.One-on-one or small group Bible studies have been greatly used by God. International Students, Inc., (ISI) has developed materials and a method that seems to work well.

F.We have also found that Chinese-language fellowships and Bible studies furnish both a welcoming community and a place to learn, as long as Christians do not try to rush the process with premature professions of faith or baptisms. The Mandarin Sunday school class at our church now sees more than twenty attendees each week.

In addition, we have served as advisors to the student-led English-language Chinese Christian Fellowship (CCF) at UVA since 1993. Our CI Partner Kevin Sawyer has taken my place and is doing a great job. Dori helps with advice and hospitality, as does Kevin’s wife Sarah. CCF has always been a tight-knit, loving community that welcomes newcomers and enfolds them into a group that includes several “generations” of students.

For example, both former and current members showed up when one of the former presidents of CCF got married a few weeks ago:

We covet your prayers that God would work again this year to bring Chinese students to himself, and we urge you to join in this exciting ministry.

In particular, please ask God to bring new people, especially men, to the first CCF large group meeting of the year next Friday, September 5, and to lead them into regular attendance on Fridays and to the mid-week men’s and women’s Bible studies.

]]>LISTENINGWright DoyleTue, 15 Jul 2014 17:14:00 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/listening533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:53dfbf6ee4b0329b1ff543f4While in China, I had conversations with several dozen people. In almost
every case, I found that they had something to tell me, something I needed
to know before I could say anything of value to them.Dear Praying Friends:

While in China, I had conversations with several dozen people. In almost every case, I found that they had something to tell me, something I needed to know before I could say anything of value to them.

A few examples:

The retired professor whose heart is broken by the moral morass she encounters each day.

The recent college graduate whose father died suddenly, without telling her and her mother that he had been uncomfortable for several days.

The Christian student who feels pressure to share the gospel but who doesn’t really know God’s forgiveness herself.

The husband whose wife’s ambitious mother demands that her daughter pursue graduate studies in a city hundreds of miles away.

The man sitting next to me on the train whose father had died early that morning.

The bright new PhD who wrote a dissertation in one field but wants to pursue research in another field and needs my advice. Actually, the question goes deeper than that.

The wife and mother who is trying to decide whether to try to re-build the marriage which she ended legally by divorce two years ago.

The young woman whose father will not let her marry the man she loves, because he is not “outstanding” enough.

The mother whose daughter’s elementary school teacher berates her every day.

The young believer who has heavy responsibilities in the church but who isn’t being fed by the teaching and feels burnt out

The Christian whose wife has fallen away from her previous profession of faith because she can’t “see” God in her life. He admits it’s partly because he hasn’t been a great husband to her.

The church leaders whose congregation has been “hijacked” by an ambitious female pastor from overseas.

Learning to listen

In each situation, it took time for these hard realities to be expressed, especially because most of these people had never met me before. It’s hard for me to stop talking long enough to give others a chance to speak, so I had to discipline myself to ask questions and wait for them to open up slowly and at their pace.

Given my tendency to give advice too soon, I had to restrain myself from offering suggestions. In most cases, they just wanted someone to take the time to listen. Everyone is so busy that seldom does anyone slow down enough to allow another to share from the heart.

If they do dare to express doubt, or confusion, or sorrow, or guilt, all too often they are met with a quick dismissal, or hasty and moralistic instruction, or even rejection. Patient, accepting, affirming ears are rare anywhere, but especially so in today’s frenetic Chinese society.

Preparing to listen

As a foreigner, I face additional obstacles to creating an atmosphere conducive to honest communication. It has taken many years to learn enough Mandarin to comprehend the words spoken to me in trust, and decades of reading, observing, and exposure to Chinese society and culture to have some sense of the context of what I hear.

At the same time, however, foreigners often have access to hearts that are afraid to open up to friends, family, and even church members.

For that reason, I strongly recommend that we do all we can to study the history, culture, current conditions, and language of China, so that we might be better listeners.

China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society, which I co-authored with Dr. Peter Yu, would be a good place to start.

As I wrote in Reaching Chinese Worldwide, “For those of us wanting to reach Chinese, listening must come first.”

May God help us all to be “quick to hear” and “slow to speak,” (James 1:19), that we may better express the love of God, who invites us to “pour out [our] heart before Him” (Psalm 62:8).

Yours in His mercy,

Wright

]]>SHORT-TERM TRIPSWright DoyleThu, 12 Jun 2014 17:11:00 +0000http://www.reachingchineseworldwide.org/newletter/short-term-trips533197c8e4b02aa0f34bb043:53b3fb82e4b0d035feb8798a:53dfbecee4b0a6a6f546554eAs I wrote in Reaching Chinese Worldwide, brief trips to Greater China may
be quite useful, if they are made with the right purposes and planning.
Since we left Taiwan in 1988, I have traveled back there or to mainland
China almost annually, and have always come home encouraged.Dear Praying Friends:

As I wrote in Reaching Chinese Worldwide (RCW), brief trips to Greater China may be quite useful, if they are made with the right purposes and planning.

Since we left Taiwan in 1988, I have traveled back there or to mainland China almost annually, and have always come home encouraged.

Learning and loving

As I see it, we should go with two goals: To learn, and to love.

We learn by observing carefully and by listening attentively. We show love primarily by listening with our hearts, praying with people who share with us, and speaking words of encouragement when appropriate.

Love may also be expressed by making some particular contribution for which we are qualified, at the request of the Chinese themselves. Professionals may speak about their specialty or administer health care. Others can teach English.

On a number of occasions, I have been asked to teach a short course or to give lectures.

Questionable practices

You will find a chapter on “Questionable Practices” in RCW. In my mind, these include trying to “lead people to Christ” by having them “say a prayer to receive Christ.” For one thing, I find no biblical warrant for these tactics. In addition, quick “conversions” seldom last, and only benefit the foreigners who go home with stories to tell their supporters.

Another dubious activity would be openly to violate the laws in China against foreigners trying to proselytize or preach in unregistered churches. Some very experienced people do respond to invitations from local believers to minister in their midst, but they do so cautiously and with great care not to offend the government or cause trouble for Christians.

Before you go

To make the most of your trip, you should read as much about Chinese history, culture, and contemporary society as you can, and become familiar with the current situation of Chinese Christians.

For just this purpose, I co-authored China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society, which provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to traditional Chinese civilization and to its rapidly-changing society. Reaching Chinese Worldwide gives an overview of things you need to know in order to communicate Christ effectively.

For the latest news, read ZGBriefs, a weekly online digest of current events in all domains of Chinese society (http://www.zgbriefs.com/).

Crackdown on the church?

For the most part, Chinese Christians practice their faith without hindrance, but in the past few weeks, various reports have suggested that the implementation of religious policy might be changing in China. Dozens of churches in one province have had buildings demolished, prominent crosses destroyed, or notice of imminent demolition. At least one group of American Christian students have had to cancel their plan to spend the summer on a university campus. Some prominent Christians have been publicly criticized. Christian and non-Christian human rights lawyers are facing more harassment. Two missionaries were expelled for serving as pastors of unregistered churches.

We don’t yet know what this means. China has denied any anti-Christian policy, and most of these actions could be seen simply as the enforcement of existing rules. Still, foreigners going to mainland China should take care not to be foolhardy in a highly uncertain climate.

Pray for me

I am scheduled to be in China May 28 – June 30. During that time, I hope to increase my understanding of today’s China and challenges faced by Christians as I travel to several cities to visit friends.

I have been asked to teach a course at a university June 16-20, and to give three lectures the next week. Another university has also invited me to lecture.

You can imagine how to pray for me and for others visiting China this summer. Thank you.